US Deeply Concerned About Violence in Israel, West Bank

US State Department spokesman Ned Price (File photo: Reuters)
US State Department spokesman Ned Price (File photo: Reuters)
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US Deeply Concerned About Violence in Israel, West Bank

US State Department spokesman Ned Price (File photo: Reuters)
US State Department spokesman Ned Price (File photo: Reuters)

The State Department said Wednesday that the US is highly concerned by the levels of violence in Israel and the West Bank and feared that the impact of the recent Israeli raid in the West Bank could set back efforts to restore calm.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a press briefing that Washington recognizes “the very real security concerns facing Israel. At the same time, we are deeply concerned by a large number of injuries and the loss of civilian lives.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that 11 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 others wounded during the Israeli army raid in Nablus in the northern West Bank.

The Palestinian militant faction Islamic Jihad said Israeli troops had surrounded two of its Nablus commanders in a house, triggering a clash that drew in other gunmen.

Palestinian sources said the two Islamic Jihad commanders were killed along with another gunman. The fatalities included civilians, among them a 72-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said a 66-year-old man who suffered from gas inhalation during the raid died in hospital later on Wednesday. Medical officials said more than 100 Palestinians were wounded.



US Sanctions Russia-Based Network for Helping Yemen’s Houthis

Houthi supporters attend a protest against US airstrikes on Houthi positions, on al-Quds Day in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 March 2025. (EPA)
Houthi supporters attend a protest against US airstrikes on Houthi positions, on al-Quds Day in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 March 2025. (EPA)
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US Sanctions Russia-Based Network for Helping Yemen’s Houthis

Houthi supporters attend a protest against US airstrikes on Houthi positions, on al-Quds Day in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 March 2025. (EPA)
Houthi supporters attend a protest against US airstrikes on Houthi positions, on al-Quds Day in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 March 2025. (EPA)

The United States imposed sanctions on Wednesday on Russia-based people and entities working to help procure weapons and commodities - including stolen Ukrainian grain - for Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, the Treasury Department said.

The operatives, who included Russia-based Afghan businessman Hushang Ghairat and his brother, Russia-based Afghan businessman Sohrab Ghairat, helped senior Houthi official Sa’id al-Jamal, procure millions of dollars’ worth of commodities from Russia for shipment to Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, Treasury said.

The goods included weapons and sensitive goods, as well as stolen Ukrainian grain, the department said in a statement.

"The Houthis remain reliant on Sa’id al-Jamal and his network to procure critical goods to supply the group’s terrorist war machine," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. "Today’s action underscores our commitment to degrading the Houthis’ ability to threaten the region through their destabilizing activities."